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Recently at ESADE Madrid, Esteve Calzada, CEO of Prime Time Sport, presented a new study entitled “Football Transfer Review 2012: Winter Transfer Window", which analysed European football teams’ investments during the winter transfer window.

The study highlights the downward trend in spending on transfers, which dropped 45% with respect to the previous year. Prime Time Sport argues that this trend will repeat itself in the coming years. According to Mr. Calzada, the low level of investment in new players is due, among other things, to “the large investments made during the 2010-2011 winter and 2011-2012 summer transfer windows; the economic difficulties experienced by the vast majority of teams, which are due to past overspending and high debt levels; and, of course, the need to adapt to the new UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations, which limit each team’s losses to a maximum of €45 million through the 2014-2015 season, and which have affected those teams which enjoy the support of major investors".

In Spain, the situation is even more delicate. The only club to purchase players in this year’s winter transfer window, Sevilla FC, spent just €6.5 million, its lowest investment in 13 years. Meanwhile, Real Madrid did not use the winter transfer window to buy or sell any players, and FC Barcelona sold Maxwell and Jonathan Soriano to raise a total of €4 million.

Due to the drop in spending, clubs have sought alternative ways to maintain the potential of their teams. Some have chosen to cut players from their roster, whereas others, such as FC Barcelona, have opted to cultivate players trained in the club’s youth system. With a total of 15 active players who have passed through its youth system, FC Barcelona is rivalled only by Real Sociedad in terms of using homegrown players this season. In the UK, Manchester United follows closely with 14.

Real Madrid and FC Barcelona: the best records
The study also analysed the teams’ main statistics with respect to their results. According to Mr. Calzada, Real Madrid is the club with the highest percentage of points, having obtained 85.9% of all possible points. FC Barcelona, meanwhile, is the second-best European team at home, behind Manchester City, despite having the best home scoring record and allowing the fewest goals at home.

Both Real Madrid and FC Barcelona boast some of the highest-scoring players in Europe: Cristiano Ronaldo’s 24 goals for Madrid in the first round are followed closely by Barça’s Messi, who has 22. The only other comparable striker this year is the Dutchman Van Persie, who has scored 17 goals for Arsenal.